NS-nominated short line, regional railroads honored

A unique move of construction materials brought top honors from Railway Age magazine to a regional and short line railroad that worked with Norfok Southern to develop new business for all three companies. The Reading Blue Mountain & Northern in Port Clinton, Pa., was named regional railroad of the year, and the Winchester & Western Railroad in Bridgeton, N.J., was named short line railroad of the year. Both were nominated by Paul Heymann, NS product manager construction aggregates.

Sand is loaded in Bridgeton, N.J., and transported to Leesport, Pa. Photo: Wesley Westenhoefer

"Southeastern Pennsylvania has a lot of natural stone, and Southern New Jersey has plenty of sand deposits," Heymann said. "That means there's a healthy flow of construction aggregates between the areas. It has moved by truck in the past, but that is becoming more expensive due to highway congestion. We wanted to find a way to relieve the congestion and reduce some shipper costs, and that was by taking truck shipments off the highways and putting the traffic on rail."

Heymann said RBMN and WW worked with their local customers to develop a delivery schedule that maximized equipment use by running loaded cars each way. Construction sand for concrete and hot-mix asphalt is shipped from Better Materials in Newport, N.J., to Berks Products in Leesport, Pa., where it is used to produce highway-quality concrete. Cars are loaded with crushed limestone at Leesport and shipped to Better Materials for distribution to asphalt and ready-mix plants. Better Materials leased a fleet of specially modified aggregate cars to expedite unloading and improve cycle time. Shipments originate and terminate on the short line and regional railroad, and are expedited by Conrail, benefiting all parties.

"The success of this move is the work of many people," Heymann said. Ralph Hail, manager service design, Atlanta, implemented train schedules for the new traffic within the Thoroughbred Operating Plan. Harry Reichert, trainmaster, and yardmasters John Kline and George Cromyak in Reading, Pa., expedite connections with the RBMN. Lou Sarandrea, assistant superintendent at Conrail's Pavonia Yard, expedites the traffic between the WW at Millville, N.J., and NS at Camden, N.J.

"Besides the business benefit, there is an added benefit to NS and the Philadelphia area," Heymann said. "We have taken truck traffic off very congested roads, making traveling easier. Plus rail transportation is better for the environment."

2003 calendar features double-take of bridge

For the first time, two employees have won a spot in the Norfolk Southern wall calendar by photographing the same location.

Ed Brouse's summer photo of the Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh Bridge in Harrisburg will be featured on the cover of the 2003 calendar, while James Kerr's shot of the same bridge during winter landed the January spot. Brouse is a yardmaster at Enola, Pa., and Kerr is an engineer on the Harrisburg Division.

"Ordinarily, we wouldn't have the same location twice in the same calendar," said Rhonda Broom, manager advertising. "But both entries were such stellar photographs that the judging committee thought both deserved to win."

Kerr is a double winner. His photo of fall foliage at South Fork, Pa., also was selected for the calendar.

Other winners are Tom Nitza, a training specialist for Triple Crown Services in Fort Wayne, Ind.; John Lindquist, a conductor in Fort Wayne; Jim Sinclair, a signal maintainer in West Lebanon, Ind.; Carlos Fink, a gang leader in the Norfolk Locomotive Shop;

Casey Thomason, an engineer on the Alabama Division; Brien McMahon, chief clerk, Modalgistics, forest products, in Memphis, Tenn.; Ron Downs, system support-CYO, Atlanta; Jeff Trull, conductor, Greenville, S.C.;

G. T. "Snake" Atkinson, locomotive engineer, Baltimore; Bob Bahrs, a conductor in Croxton, N.J.; Jim Haag, an engineer on the Harrisburg Division; and Curtis Artrip, a Pocahontas Division conductor.

Cover photo: Ed Brouse, yardmaster. Below: Jim Haag's photo taken at Boiling Springs, Pa.

Portrait 20 tells NS story

Can 20 years of modern history and 155 years of "old" history be fully related in a 200-page book?

No, but we tried anyway. Portrait 20 is Norfolk Southern's book commemorating the corporation's 20th anniversary in 2002. The story is told through articles written by more than 60 NS employees, as well as through interviews, photographs and timelines that track the Thoroughbred's path from the earliest days of industrial America through the Conrail transaction and into the 21st century.

Before the end of the year, NS departmental supervisors will distribute copies of the book to every NS employee, with thanks from Chairman David Goode for "the part each and every one of you has played in helping to make NS a better, safer transportation system."

Quick-thinking employee comes to boater's rescue

Matt Dibbern, assistant manager purchasing-diesel in Roanoke, became a good Samaritan while on a departmental safety outing at Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke.

Dibbern was on the tour boat VIRGINIA DARE with 50 co-workers and family members when he noticed the sole occupant of a sailboat trying to retrieve his sail. The wake of a passing powerboat rocked the sailboat and caused the man to fall overboard. The man was not wearing a life jacket.

Dibbern immediately notified the tour boat's captain, who called the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary later told Dibbern the man was exhausted when they reached him. Capt. William Tice and Capt. Dal Bailey of the Division 8 U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary commended Dibbern for possibly preventing the man from drowning.

Dibbern said he did what anyone else would have done. "It was just like seeing a car accident. You try to help as much as you can," he said.

NS shop employees restore historic fire department bell

From left to right: Russell Barton, machinist; Reggie Ginter, painter; Karl Taylor, laborer; Doug Gibson, machinist. Not shown: Pete Gentry, laborer

Norfolk Southern Roanoke Locomotive Shop employees restored a badly corroded fire bell that had hung in the tower of a Roanoke fire station since 1906, giving it new life for a Sept. 11 memorial observance.

The 116-year-old bell originally was used to alert firefighters to come to the station and man horse-drawn fire wagons to fight fires. The bell was cast in Baltimore in 1886, and hung for 10 years in a volunteer fire company in Roanoke.

When Jim Grigsby, the city's fire chief, climbed the Station 1 tower in June 2001 to get his first look at the bell, it was extremely corroded. He wanted to restore the bell to its former glory.

The department called on NS' Roanoke Locomotive Shop, where machinist Russell Barton volunteered to take on the challenge. He and laborers Pete Gentry and Karl Taylor removed the stubborn corrosion from the 1,000-pound copper and tin bell, discovering no significant damage after all those years.

The bell was polished, and painter Reggie Ginter sprayed it with clear polyurethane. Machinist Doug Gibson made a new hanger, and the bell was mounted in a hand-hewn oak frame for its new role in Roanoke.

On Sept. 11, it rang at 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m. in a ceremony to honor firefighters, emergency medical technicians and police officers who died in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. It now will be used to ring the "last alarm" at firefighters' funerals.

NS recognizes donors to Good Government Fund

Norfolk Southern employees who contribute to the company's political fund, the Good Government Fund, were recognized at receptions hosted by David R. Goode, chairman, president and chief executive officer, in Atlanta, Roanoke and Norfolk. More than 200 employees attended.

"We wanted to personally thank those who contribute to our efforts to ensure that NS' voice is heard on key issues in Washington, D.C., and in state capitols throughout the system," said Steve Anthony, assistant vice president public affairs. He added that under a new matching program, for every dollar eligible employees contribute to the Good Government Fund, NS will contribute a dollar to a charity, church or United Way organization in the name of the contributor.

The Good Government Fund is a nonpartisan political fund that provides financial support to candidates and officeholders regardless of party, whose views match the interests of Norfolk Southern. For more information, contact Anthony at 202-383-4125.

Whistle-stop tour promotes safe hazmat transportation

A whistle-stop tour is spreading a message of safe, responsible transportation of hazardous materials.

Norfolk Southern and TRANSCAER, which stands for Transportation Community Awareness Emergency Response, are sponsoring the Oct. 7-12 special train, kicking off at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and ending up in Decatur, Ala. In between are whistle-stops at Alexandria, Va., Spencer and Asheville, N.C., and Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tenn.

"At each stop, there is an outdoor expo of hazardous material transportation equipment that attracts many industry experts," said David Schoendorfer, NS manager hazardous materials. "It is an ideal educational opportunity for local emergency responders, with free hazmat training offered at each location."

TRANSCAER is a national program that assists communities to prepare for a hazardous material transportation incident.

PLC partnership recognized

Norfolk Southern's subsidiary, Pocahontas Land Corporation, was honored, with partners Mingo Logan Coal Company, a mining subsidiary of Arch Coal, Inc., and Premium Energy Corporation, for excellence in post-mining land reclamation. The U.S. Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining (OSM) presented one of seven national 2002 Excellence in Surface Mining Awards for the project in which 330 acres of previously mined land were transformed into the 18-hole Twisted Gun Golf Course in Mingo County, W. Va.

The Silver Anniversary Excellence in Surface Mining Awards ceremony was held by OSM and the National Mining Association in Washington, D.C., in September. John Payne, PLC general manager operations, joined in accepting the award, which recognizes those responsible for the nation's most outstanding achievement in environmentally sound surface mining and land reclamation and encourages the exchange and transfer of successful reclamation technology.

UVA Law School honors Jack Shannon

Lillian R. BeVier has been named the first John S. Shannon Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia Law School. Shannon retired in 1996 as Norfolk Southern's executive vice president law. Upon his retirement, the Norfolk Southern Foundation made a $100,000 contribution to the university's law school in his name. That inspired him to work to increase the grant through personal donations to reach $1 million. The university established the chair in 1998. Shannon is a life member of the law school's Dean's Council.

Roanoke to commemorate arrival of first NW train

The first Norfolk and Western Railway train arrived in Roanoke 150 years ago. To commemorate the event, the city and The History Museum and Historical Society of Western Virginia are honoring Norfolk Southern and its employees on Nov. 2.

A plaque commemorating the event will be dedicated along the Rail Walk. Former NW Chairman John P. Fishwick and Ike Prillaman, NS vice chairman and chief marketing officer, will give remarks. The NS Exhibit Car will be at the site and open to the public, and NS' Lawmen will entertain in the afternoon. Downtown merchants will provide special discounts to NS employees as well. For more information, contact The History Museum and Historical Society of Western Virginia at 540-342-5770.